E91 Straight Six Bearding

[Swervin_Mervin]

Have you tried running the pump using the bleed procedure, just to double check its operation?

[MajorMantra]

Yeah I tried it by the roadside and couldn't hear anything at all, but I'll give it another go just to make sure.

The fault said words to the effect of 'pump missing' which sounds fairly definitive!

[Mr Tidy]

I hope it's the wiring, but it sounds like it may well be the pump.

Assuming you fitted a Pierburg one last time it should have lasted longer than that! Although the OE one in my first Z4 with the N52 engine died pretty much bang on 60K miles.

[MajorMantra]

Indeed it was a Pierburg.

I think my car knows I've been on an Autotrader binge lately and is messing with me.

At least it had the decency to fail close to home. I was able to limp it back by keeping the revs down and coasting the downhills. Ofc with no heat from the blowers it was bloody freezing inside.

[ATM]

Hello Gents

My mate has an early 330i n52 m sport auto. Not sure if that's relevant. Anyway he needs some new dics and pads for the front. Does anyone have any recommendations for which brand to go for and where to buy?

Cheers

[Stinger70]

Can anyone clarify the oil service intervals for me, got a 56 plate n52 330 on 107k. Had it about 10 months and it’s asking for an oil service. It had a full service with spark plugs, oil and transmission fluid before I bought it and it’s only done 2.5k miles since then. Going into the menu it looks like it’s simply set as a reminder for oil to be done in January 24. So assuming it’s not monitoring the oil quality? Leave it for another 2.5k miles or need to get it done now?

[helix402]

ATM said:

Hello Gents

My mate has an early 330i n52 m sport auto. Not sure if that's relevant. Anyway he needs some new dics and pads for the front. Does anyone have any recommendations for which brand to go for and where to buy?

Cheers

Autodoc. ATE. Ceramic pads if he wants no dust. Needs sensor too.

[MajorMantra]

Stinger70 said:

Can anyone clarify the oil service intervals for me, got a 56 plate n52 330 on 107k. Had it about 10 months and it’s asking for an oil service. It had a full service with spark plugs, oil and transmission fluid before I bought it and it’s only done 2.5k miles since then. Going into the menu it looks like it’s simply set as a reminder for oil to be done in January 24. So assuming it’s not monitoring the oil quality? Leave it for another 2.5k miles or need to get it done now?

BMW uses 'condition based servicing' which means the car decides based on your driving profile (which I take to mean how many starts, journey length etc.).

The car doesn't know when it's been serviced however, you have to manually reset the indicator. If it's come on after 2.5k then it's most likely the last mechanic who serviced it skipped this step. I'd be very surprised if the car ever demanded a service before 12k miles or so, as the notional interval is quite long, based on the recommended long-life oil.

Saying that, most enthusiasts would advocate more frequent servicing. Personally I aim for annually or every 8-10k miles.

So in this case I'd probably reset the indicator now (Google for instructions, it's easy) and set yourself a reminder for when you actually want to service it.

[JakeT]

Just to add here if you’re doing low mileage have it serviced every 12 months, good idea is to line it up with the MOT.

[Court_S]

ATM said:

Hello Gents

My mate has an early 330i n52 m sport auto. Not sure if that's relevant. Anyway he needs some new dics and pads for the front. Does anyone have any recommendations for which brand to go for and where to buy?

Cheers

I’m a big fan of the ATE ceramic pads because they cut down on mess big time. They’re slightly more than standard but we’ll work it.

ATE discs ate grand too although I’m using Zimmerman.

[Court_S]

MajorMantra said:

Indeed it was a Pierburg.

I think my car knows I've been on an Autotrader binge lately and is messing with me.

At least it had the decency to fail close to home. I was able to limp it back by keeping the revs down and coasting the downhills. Ofc with no heat from the blowers it was bloody freezing inside.

Did you get to the bottom of the issue? Damaged wiring or a dud pump?

[BUG4LIFE]

RECr said:

They were £320ish on ML performance the other day, now £373. I don't know if ML prices fluctuate Autodoc style. Secondhand index 11s are £120 to £150 on ebay, with the mileage I do, they might be worth the risk if they haven't been dropped/dinked. Need to factor in new seals and fitting tool for secondhand ones too.

The one that is definitely leaking is an index 2 so possibly the original from 2007.

I’m on the lookout for a new car (having sold my Jag S-Type R), and an E91 330i and E87 130i has caught my eye.

The E91 is an LCI so has an n53. Googling n53 obviously brings up injectors but I thought if I keep a bit of dosh to the side to cover the inevitable, I’d be ok…until I started looking at the price of the injectors. You guys mentioned ML performance so I looked them up; is this right… https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/products/genuine-b...

Well north of £400 each makes for one hell of a bill if you need all six, and almost impossible to justify if there’s second hand options?!

I’m draw to the E91 I spotted due it being more practical than the 1er, a bit younger and a good few less owners. Though maybe the n52 in the 130 is the more sensible choice?!

[Mr Tidy]

BUG4LIFE said:

I’m on the lookout for a new car (having sold my Jag S-Type R), and an E91 330i and E87 130i has caught my eye.

The E91 is an LCI so has an n53. Googling n53 obviously brings up injectors but I thought if I keep a bit of dosh to the side to cover the inevitable, I’d be ok…until I started looking at the price of the injectors. You guys mentioned ML performance so I looked them up; is this right… https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/products/genuine-b...

Well north of £400 each makes for one hell of a bill if you need all six, and almost impossible to justify if there’s second hand options?!

I’m draw to the E91 I spotted due it being more practical than the 1er, a bit younger and a good few less owners. Though maybe the n52 in the 130 is the more sensible choice?!

I really rate the N52 engine after having two Z4 Coupes with it.

And having read about N53 issues like injectors and coked up manifolds when I went looking for an E91 in 2018 I bought an early one with the N52, but could only find a 325i at sensible money. It had done 132K miles but had full BMWSH and I did another 7,000 in the year I had it, but it just didn't feel as lively as I had hoped.

So I tried again and made a different compromise when I got an E90 330i in 2019 that has now done 124K and still performs brilliantly.

As things turned out I probably should have gone for a 130i as I don't really need a 3 Series any more.

Personally I'd go for the 130i or look for an early E91 with the N52 engine - they are potentially only 2 or 3 years older than the N53 models which aren't exactly young now!

[Court_S]

BUG4LIFE said:

I’m on the lookout for a new car (having sold my Jag S-Type R), and an E91 330i and E87 130i has caught my eye.

The E91 is an LCI so has an n53. Googling n53 obviously brings up injectors but I thought if I keep a bit of dosh to the side to cover the inevitable, I’d be ok…until I started looking at the price of the injectors. You guys mentioned ML performance so I looked them up; is this right… https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/products/genuine-b...

Well north of £400 each makes for one hell of a bill if you need all six, and almost impossible to justify if there’s second hand options?!

I’m draw to the E91 I spotted due it being more practical than the 1er, a bit younger and a good few less owners. Though maybe the n52 in the 130 is the more sensible choice?!

I have a 335i with an N54, which also suffers with injector issues. I had a slight leak from the injector on cylinder six which I sorted with a decent used injector. It’s been fine since. They are a risk though.

The benefit of the 125i/130i’s are that they stuck with the N52 for the entire production period whereas the posher models moved to the N53 which has a few expensive issues (injectors, HPFP and NOX sensor).

The 3 series is noticeably more practical than the E8x cars, which I’m a big fan of. I loved my 130i LE but it was a bit small with a growing child.

I was lucky enough to find an E91 with an N52 last year which I jumped at the chance to buy.

The N52 is a great engine (this is number four). They do have a few issues but none are as painful as the injectors etc for the N53.

[BUG4LIFE]

Ha, thanks guys. You’re really steering me towards the 130! I am a big fan of estates but, although I do ferry my two boys to school and back nearly everyday, it isn’t our main family car so don’t need the extra practicality (I just love estates)!

I I’ll give the E91 chap a call, just to check if he’s had and fixed some of the big ticket items…for instance, maybe he’s fitted six index 11 injectors?!?!

[MajorMantra]

Court_S said:

Did you get to the bottom of the issue? Damaged wiring or a dud pump?

I ended up buying the pump because I didn't want the car out of action for ages while I waited for parts, if it turned out to be that.

However, according to the garage the wiring was somehow damaged (again – perhaps my repair 5 years ago wasn't up to scratch?), so it's entirely possible I just wasted a load of money. Saying that, at least I know I don't have to think about it again for a few years, hopefully,

This episode had me browsing F11 5-series but since the E91 has just passed another MOT with no major issues, I guess I'll give it a chance to redeem itself. And I'll ignore the increasingly noticeable smell of oil – not sure there's a gasket that *isn't* weeping at this point.

[Court_S]

MajorMantra said:

I ended up buying the pump because I didn't want the car out of action for ages while I waited for parts, if it turned out to be that.

However, according to the garage the wiring was somehow damaged (again – perhaps my repair 5 years ago wasn't up to scratch?), so it's entirely possible I just wasted a load of money. Saying that, at least I know I don't have to think about it again for a few years, hopefully,

This episode had me browsing F11 5-series but since the E91 has just passed another MOT with no major issues, I guess I'll give it a chance to redeem itself. And I'll ignore the increasingly noticeable smell of oil – not sure there's a gasket that *isn't* weeping at this point.

That’s annoying but at least it’s sorted.

A friend of mine has just bought an F11 and I really like it. They’re bloody good value for money and it’s got me thinking about one if I don’t put my big boy pants on.

As for the oil leak, is it even a BMW if it’s not leaking oil from somewhere?

[pmorg4]

MajorMantra said:

I ended up buying the pump because I didn't want the car out of action for ages while I waited for parts, if it turned out to be that.

However, according to the garage the wiring was somehow damaged (again – perhaps my repair 5 years ago wasn't up to scratch?), so it's entirely possible I just wasted a load of money. Saying that, at least I know I don't have to think about it again for a few years, hopefully,

This episode had me browsing F11 5-series but since the E91 has just passed another MOT with no major issues, I guess I'll give it a chance to redeem itself. And I'll ignore the increasingly noticeable smell of oil – not sure there's a gasket that *isn't* weeping at this point.

I wouldn’t worry about changing the pump even if the old one was fine. They are pretty much consumable on these cars, and will leave you stranded with little warning, so I’d be tempted to fit one as preventative maintenance to avoid a ruined day when you least need to deal with a breakdown. I bought a Pierburg pump for my N52 330i which I never got around to fitting before I sold it to buy a 335i. Unfortunately they use a different pump on the N54 otherwise I’d have fitted the pump I have on the shelf to the 335i… I’m considering buying another pump for the 335i to fit as preventative maintenance as I just hate the thought of being stranded for an issue I know I can prevent.

[Mr Tidy]

As pmorg4 has said the electric water pump will die at some point, and you get very little warning on E90/91s as they don't even have a temperature gauge!

Seeing as you have one I 'd be tempted to get it fitted as you're unlikely to need another and it saves the pain of being stranded.

I was lucky with my Z4 as I was only a few miles from home so it made it back. I had to wait for RAC recovery in my E91, but it was a nice sunny day in May and luckily I wasn't travelling to a deadline. Plus I had another car at home!

[Court_S]

My friend is selling his 2007 E91 330i in case anyone is interested.

It’s on 120k and in his ownership he’s fitted Bilstein B4S dampers with Eibach Pro springs, an Andream screen for CarPlay / Android Auto, changed the water pump and thermostat plus. The engine and gearbox have been mapped by P Torque in Wolverhampton.